Suspension of automobiles and other vehicles



l 5,626,188 April' 26 1927 G. H. E. DE RAM SUSPENSION 0F AUTOMOBILES AND OTHER VEHICLES Filed NOV.20. 1922 lulu lll Tlf/IIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlIIIIIIIIIIIh/I y vlllll/ll/ ffl/111121111 /l iNveNTQR Patented Apr. 26, 1927.

'UNITI-:n sTATi-:s'

GEORGES ERNEST im RAIL OF IBOULOGNE-SUBrSEINE, FRANCE.

SUSPENSION or AUTOMOBILES AND ornna v nnicnns. l

Application led November 20, 1922, Serial 110.602,29, and vin France'December 5, 1921.

This invention has reference to means for' of the suspensions of varying the iiexibilit-y `automobiles and other vehicles.

Theory indicates that the exibility shoul-d continue to diminish in proportion as the speed increases; it must even diminish in inverse ratio tothe square of. the speed un- `.der certain conditions. Y*

The means for varying the flexibility ofthe suspensions of automobile and other ve hicles according to this invention comply with the condition set forth above.

In the accompanying drawings which are somewhat of adiagrammatic character,

Figure arrang ment according to this invention; "Figure'2 shows a modiiic'ation of the suspension shown in Figure 1.

Fi rc3 showsa modification in which coile springs are emplcyed:

. Figure 4 shows a mo ification of the arran ement shown in Figure 3, and

Figures 5 and 6 are' sectionsof combinations of coiled springs. with a corrector of flexibility.

1 On referring to Figure 1, the chassis is shown at 1 vand `the axle at.2; 4 and 9 bein rigidly fixed to the chassis 1.

e suspension arrangement comprises' two springs of the leaf or blade type 3 and 10-tlie first of which, of a low degree of flexibility, is caplable of ensuring a goo suspensionfat hig of. great iexibility on the contrary, gives a very mild or gentle suspension at low speed.

The sprino 3 is fixed, fon the one hand, to the axle am?, on the. other hand, to a plate 5 pivoted to the bracket 4 on the chassis 1. The plate 5 comprises an arm 5 articulated 4o to a rod, 6 of a liquid brake or damping device 7, articulated at 8 to the bracket 9. At

low speeds this brake oiers a slight resist-v ance to the an lar displacements of the arm 5. The springs and 10 act simultanei ously, the spring 10 belng influenced through the medium of the connecting rod 11V pivoted on the one han-d, to the spring 10 and. en the other hand to a short member 12 init gral with the plate 5. The iexibility is te then at the maximum. As the speed of the vehicle increases, the more rapid; the shoc and impulses given the spring .3 by the irregularities inthe roadway communicated to the plate 5, but as the plate 5 is directly connected to the :raping device 7, which prevents rapid 1 is an elevation of a suspension I to the axle 1s short and only sli htly flexible,

.large arm speeds whilst the second,

its become more and4 oscillation of the plate 5, the result of the damping device is t0 maintain the plate 5 in substantially stationary'position, since the damping device is relatively slow moving and is being subjected to a rapid succession of impulses in opposite directions.

InFigure 2 is shown a modification of thesuspension ymeans above described.l In tlis arrangement, the two springs?) and 10 are replaced by'a single cantilever spring with unequal arms 13. This s ring is connected'at one end directly wit the axle V2 and, at the lother end, to a connecting rod 14 pivoted to the chassis 1.5 v

The arm of the' spring which isconnected whilst the arm articulated to t e chassis 'by a connecting rod 14 is long and exible. The brake vor damping device 7 is actuated in the same manner as above described, by the angular displacement ofthe plate 5 and its action gives the same results as those of the arrangement shown in Figure' 1. In the modification rshown 'in Figure 3 coiled springs are employed, the brake or damping device being shown in an entirely diagrammatic manner. yIn this. case the 21 to thel chassis is connected directly to the axle 2. .The other arm' 16v is pivoted to a 15 of an elbow lever pivoted at connecting vrod 17, whchtransmits the disd placements of the elbow lever to a .disc 18 adapted to be displaced in a cylinder v22 fixed to the chassis.v In this cylinder there are two coiled springs 19 and 19 se arated.v

by a disc or hermetic piston 20. e part ofV the cylinder in which the spring' 19 is located constitutes. the brake or daampingl device, the plart played by which is the -same as that of t e device shewn at 7 in Figures 1 and 2. f

The working ofthe whole is the same as that of the arrangements witha plate spring; in this case, the spring 19 is less flexible than the spring 19 and when the jolts `or vibrations of the axle 2 are relatively slow, both springs 19 and 19 and the iiuid pressure medium in cylinder 22 are effective, but a rapid series of jolts or vibrations imparted to the axle;y the resistance offered by the fluid pressure medium. will prevent the rapid movement of piston 20, the latter Will remain substantially stationary, and the vibrations will be taken vup by the stout spring 19. y

Figure 4 shows an arrangement similar to liti that which has. just been described with reference to Figure 3, the two springs, however, being arranged in a different manner.

A lever 23 is connected, at one end, to the axle 2 and pivoted at the other end to the chassis at 24. At a 'point 27 of the said lever, there is pivoted a balance arm' 25 to the ends of which there are pivoted, at the one end, the supporting plate of the spring 19 and, at the other end, the cylinder 22 of the brake or damping device in which the spring 19 is located. A second balance or oscillating arm 26 pivoted at 28 -upon the frame comprises at one end, the second plate of the spring-19 and, at the other end the piston 29 of the brake.

rlhe operation of this arrangement is the same as that described vwith reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3 and the result obtained conforms to the conditions imposed, that is to say the slow vibrations willfbe'taken up by both springs 13, 19' and the fluid pressure in. cylinder 22,Vbut rapid vibrations will be restricted by the fluid pressure medium and the relatively heavy spring '19 will take up the vibrations.

Figures 5 and 6 show, in a purely diagrammatic manner, the combination of the corrector of flexibility with a suspension by coiled spring and suspension brake.

Referring to Fig. 5, is a cylinder adapted to be attached to the chassis, the cylinder being extended to form a liquid tight casing 36, the cylinder and casing being connected by ducts 37 provided with -outwardly opening check valves 38 and open ducts 39. Mounted in the cylinder 35 is a piston 32, which is engaged by a relatively stout spring 33 interposed between said piston and the end of the cylinder. 'llhe piston 32 is provided with a check valve 40 opening toward the end of the cylinder 35. second piston 31 is slidably mounted in the cylinder 35 and between the pistons 31 and 32 is interposed a helical spring 34Y of considerable less strength than spring 32. The piston 31 is likewise provided'with a check valve 41 opening toward the piston 32.

Piston 32 is connected by a link 17" with a. rock arm 16', fixed to a shaft 21', which,

in turn, is adapted to be connected to thev axle of the vehicle in substantially the same manner as illustrated in Fig. 3.

rllhe cylinder 35 and casing 36 vcontains a .body of fluid 30, and, as the rock lever 16 responds to relatively slow vibrations of the vehicle axle', the fluid in the cylinder ahead of pistons 31 and 32 will be forced out of the cylinder 35 past check valves 38, 38 and into the casing 36, both springs 33 and 34 being operative to take up the vibrations. e vibrations of 'the' axle, however,

are rapid, the restricted openings closed by the check valves 38, prevent the rapid escape of the fluid from the cylinder '35 into the casing 36, so that the vibrations will be taken up largely by the stouter spring 33. When the pistons 31 and 32 are returned to normal position, the fluid pressure will pass freely from casing 36 through check valves 41, in the respective pistons, as will be understood.

In the modification shown in Fig. 6, the only substantial difference is that the lower duct 37.connects the spaces ahead of pistons 3l and 32, so that the fluid pressure medium forced out of the portion of cylinder 35 ahead of piston 32, passesinto the portion ofthe cylinder ahead of piston 31 and thence by Way of check valve 38 and duct 37 into the casing 36. 1t will be apparent, however, that the operation of this form of the device is substantially the same as that shown in Fig. 5, the slow or widely separated vibrations ofthe vehicle-axle being taken up by both springs 33 and 34 and the fluid pressure medium, while the ra idly recurring vibrations, to which the uid medium will not respond, arev taken up primarily by the heavier spring 33.

ln the same way the order of mounting springs 33 and 34 could be reversed.l

' Claims:

1. vlin a vehicle suspension, the combination of two springs of dierent exibility, and a dampingv device associated with said springs and adapted to permit the simultaneous action of both of said springs under slow vibrations and to decrease the effectiveness of one of said springs under relatively rapid vibrations.

2. ln a .vehicle suspension, the combina-v tion of a spring of relatively eat flexibility, a spring of relatively small ferxibility, and a fluid pressure damping device adapted to suppress the `action of said first named spring at relatively high rates of vibrations.

3. in a vehicle suspension, a cylinder, a spring in said cylinder of. relatively great exibility, a second spring associated therewith of vrelatively small fiexibility, a piston, and a fiuid in said cylinder .adapted to suppress the action of said first named spring at' relatively high rates of vibration.

4. lin a vehicle suspension, a fluid containing cylinder, a piston therein, a spring associated with said piston and said cylinder, a second piston in saidcylinder, a spring associated with said second piston, said springs having different degrees of fiexibilityf and valves adapted to control the passage of fluid.

from one side to the other of said pistons.

lln testimony whereof I affix my signature. GEORGES HENR ERNEST DE RAM. 

